Healing Rain (15 page)

I laughed. “Well, since I have your seal of approval, I guess I'll go ahead and date him,” I said sarcastically.

She rolled her eyes. “I'm serious, Rain. Guys like that are hard to come by these days.” She looked up dreamily. “Your dad used to open my doors for me, too. Even though we had been married for twenty years, he still opened my door every time we got in the car. He was a gentleman, too.”

I looked at her wistful smile. “I miss him,” I told her, holding back tears.

She looked back at me with watery eyes. “Me, too. Every day.”

She started to turn and walk out of the room, but before she could leave, I stopped her. “Mom?”

“Yeah?” She turned back toward me, wiping her eyes.

“Are you…” I paused, suddenly afraid to say anything. “Never mind.”

“Ask me, Rain,” she said, coming closer to me. “Whatever it is, ask.”

“Well, what I was gonna say is…and please don't get mad at me for asking. I don't want to upset you, but I have to know.”

“Go ahead,” she said, walking even closer to me until she was right in front of me.

“Are you mad at Dad for what he did? I mean, with the money and everything, and then after that…”

She shook her head violently. “I am not mad at your dad. Do I wish he would have come to me and talked about it before he decided to do what he did? Absolutely. I firmly believe we could have figured it out together. But, I'm not mad at him for getting into debt. I truly believe he only wanted what was best for our family. He obviously just didn't see an alternative, and he thought it would be the best way out. But I want you to know something right now: I am not mad at your father. I miss him like crazy, every day, and I desperately wish he would have talked to me. But I will only remember him for the wonderful man that he was.”

She was shaking and sobbing by the time she finished talking, so I grabbed her and pulled her to me. We hugged for a long time, crying together. It was the first time we had ever discussed anything about the incident with each other, and I felt some sort of relief. I was glad to know that she wasn't mad at him for what he had done, for leaving us here where we were forced to move and change our lifestyles completely. I wasn't mad at him for the money situation, either, but I had to admit that I had been mad at him for using suicide as a way out. It was a selfish move, in my opinion, and he hadn't considered what it would do to our family. But now, after listening to Mom, those feelings melted away a little. I knew deep down that had never been his intention – I was sure he thought that his death would leave us with enough insurance money to get out of the debt he had gotten into, but he was wrong. The debt had become bigger than even he could grasp, and it would be a while before we were back on track. And even if all our debt disappeared tomorrow, the hole in our hearts where he had been would remain. I would happily take on all the debt in the world if I could have him back.

Finally, Mom and I pulled away from each other as she handed me a Kleenex. “Finish getting ready, Rain. Have a good time with Ethan tonight, and try to just focus on being a kid, okay?”

I nodded, wiping my cheeks. “Thanks, Mom.”

She left the room quietly and I turned and looked in the mirror. My eyes were now red and puffy, and it was five-thirty. I laid down on my bed for a few minutes to calm down as I thought about what a strong person my mom was. It would have been easy for her to fall apart, but she did exactly what she needed to do to make sure Tyler and I would be okay. I admired her so much for keeping it together for our sake, and I even felt a little guilty for letting myself fall apart so much when she was probably hurting even worse than I was. Finally, pushing my thoughts to the back of my mind, I got up to finish getting ready.

 

 

Ethan arrived at exactly six-thirty, just as he promised. I opened our front door to find him standing there looking as gorgeous as ever in brown cargo shorts and a red short-sleeved polo shirt. He stood there holding half a dozen roses with a big smile on his face, and I could have just melted into a puddle right then and there. Handing me the flowers, he sounded a little shy when he said, “These are for you.”

“Thank you, Ethan,” I said as I let the sweet scent put me at ease. “These are beautiful.”

As I was filling a vase with water, Mom and Tyler walked into the kitchen. Mom gasped. “Oh, those flowers are beautiful!” She gave me a little nudge and a wink, and I knew exactly what she was thinking.
I told you he was a gentleman
.

I smiled knowingly at her and set the roses on the kitchen table before I turned to Ethan. “I'm ready whenever you are.”

He took my hand as we said our good-byes to my family, and then we headed out to the parking lot. “You look really pretty,” he said as he pulled me closer to him and put his arm around me.

“Thanks,” I said, suddenly feeling self-conscious. “You clean up pretty good yourself.”

He smiled. “I can't wait for you to try my cooking. I'm an excellent cook.”

I laughed. “And once again, you're as modest as ever.”

He joined me in my laughter as he opened the car door for me. When we arrived at his house, I saw his parents outside. “I thought you said they were going to be gone,” I said nervously. I hadn't thought I would have to meet them.

“They are,” he replied. “They're leaving right now.”

We parked and got out, walking toward them as they were standing by their vehicle, which was a beautiful, expensive-looking little red car. Ethan's father looked like an older version of him – what I imagined Ethan would look like in twenty-five years. They had similar features, but his father's hair was slightly graying around the edges. It only made him look more distinguished, especially in the suit he was wearing. His mother was beautiful. She also looked like him a little, but she was petite. Her long brown hair was swept into a low, elegant ponytail and the yellow ball gown she was wearing hugged her body in all the right places. They both gave us big smiles as we approached them.

“You must be Rain,” his mother said with a warm smile as she reached out to take my hand. “I'm Isabella, Ethan's mother, and this is his father, Robert. We have heard so much about you.”

“All lies, I'm sure,” I joked nervously as I smiled back at her and shook both their hands. Isabella and Robert. Even their names sounded rich. I was completely intimidated, but tried to appear confident.

His father winked at me as he said, “So, you're a brave girl.”

I looked at him, trying to figure out what he meant. “I am?”

“Yes,” he replied. “You're going to try Ethan's cooking.”

I laughed as Ethan rolled his eyes. “You're hilarious, Dad. Don't you have a party to get to?”

His parents both laughed as they turned toward their car. His father had a deep, contagious laugh, and his mother's sounded like light music. I was already in love with them, and I didn't even know them. “You two have fun tonight. We'll be home late, Ethan. Call your dad's cell if you need us,” Isabella said.

“Will do,” he replied.

“It was nice to meet you, Rain,” his father said as he got into the car.

“You too,” I replied. We waved at them from the driveway as they drove away.

“So, they know you're hanging out with a girl here tonight, and they're leaving you alone?” I asked him incredulously.

He smiled. “Trust me, I got a talk before they left. But I assured them they had nothing to worry about. They're pretty cool, and I can tell them stuff. I promised them that it was way too soon and you were a good girl.”

I looked up at him. “You told them that?”

“Yeah,” he said. “Is that a big deal?”

I shrugged. “No, I guess not. That just seems like such…an
awkward
conversation to have with your parents. Anyway, can we go eat? I'm starving.”

He laughed. “Sure. And I told you, my parents are pretty cool. It's not awkward.” He pulled me into the house, and I could not believe my eyes.

The house was as amazing on the inside as it was on the outside. I was expecting this beautiful, ritzy, perfect house, but it really wasn't what I thought it would be. Sure, the rooms were huge and stunning, but they looked very…homey. It was hard to explain. Even though the furniture was white and the whole house was covered in beautiful wooden floors, it didn't look like one of those houses you would be scared to actually
live in
. We were greeted by the cutest little black poodle I had ever seen, who was a little ball of energy as he jumped all over me. I bent down to pet him as Ethan informed me, “That's Max. Just tell him to get down and he'll stop jumping.”

“It's okay,” I told him. “I love dogs.” I let Max jump all over me and lick my face as I thought about my own dog, or, the dog that used to be mine. We used to have a little yipping mutt named Tigger, but we had to give him away before we moved. Our apartment complex did not allow pets, and besides that, we knew that we couldn't take care of him the way he was used to. He was used to having someone around all the time, and in our new living situation, he would have been left alone a lot. Plus, dogs cost money, and we really didn't need any extra expenses. It was a very emotional day when we left Tigger with our next-door neighbors in St. Louis.

Ethan then led me into the dining room, and I gasped when I saw what he had done. The room was dark except for two lit candles that were set in the middle of the table. He had two place settings next to each other, and he escorted me to one of them before he pulled out my chair and gestured for me to sit down. “You can take your seat,” he told me as he stood there with a small smile. I must have looked completely ridiculous as I walked over to the table and sat down with the biggest grin plastered across my face. He pushed my chair in, and then darted off to the kitchen.

When he returned, I saw what he had cooked. I laughed as he put a large helping of spaghetti and meatballs on my plate. “Your favorite, right?” he asked. I nodded and beamed up at him. He really was such a considerate guy. Anna had been right when she told me he was the “whole package.”

“How did you know this was my favorite meal?” I asked him.

He smiled. “I asked your mom, actually. I thought this seemed like such a simple meal, but she assured me it was always what you requested when it was your turn to choose the menu.”

I nodded. “That's true. This really is my favorite meal. It's just a bonus that it's so easy, because now I can make it any time since my mom is never home to cook anymore.”

He laughed a little, and then his face got serious. “Rain, I don't want to ruin our dinner, but what happened to your dad, if you don't mind me asking?”

I froze. I guess I should have known that would come up, but I definitely hadn't prepared for it. Here was my chance to tell him the truth – let him find out one of my secrets. But, somehow, I wasn't ready. “Um, he…died in a car wreck,” I lied. I knew it was wrong, but I couldn't bring myself to tell the truth.

He just nodded. “I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up, especially not tonight when we're supposed to be on our first date.”

I shrugged. “It's okay. But now, let's change the subject.” I felt a powerful urge to retract my lie and just tell him the truth, but I just couldn't do it. It wasn't the right time to tell him.

We laughed throughout dinner as we talked about a lot of different things – school, our friends, plans for college (he was, of course, hoping to get a football scholarship), everything. It was honestly the best dinner I had ever had in my entire life, and I told him so.

“What can I say? I told you I was a good cook,” he said with a wink.

“I guess your parents were worried about your cooking for no reason,” I told him.

Once we were finished, he led me into the living room. “Sit here for a minute while I put the dishes away, and I'll be right back.”

“Wait, let me help you,” I said as I started to get off the couch.

He turned around quickly. “No, stay here. I'll be right back. Then we'll start part two of our date.”

I raised my eyebrows as he sprinted back into the kitchen. I looked around the living room while I waited, settling my eyes on the giant family picture of Ethan and his parents that hung above the fireplace. I could tell it was a couple of years old as Ethan looked slightly younger. They really were a beautiful family. I felt a twinge of jealousy as I thought about what my own family used to be like.

Suddenly, he reappeared in the living room, holding his hands behind his back. “Instead of actually going to the movies, I thought we'd hang out here and watch a couple of movies. I have some for you to choose from.”

“Okay. What are they?” I asked.

He took his hands out from behind his back to reveal several cartoon movies in his hands. I threw my head back and laughed. “You remember everything, don't you?”

“When it comes to what you say, yes, I do,” he said as he bent down and kissed my cheek.

After a few minutes of deliberation, I chose a princess movie, one of my favorites from my childhood. When it ended, I turned to him and gave him a long, slow kiss. “Thank you for tonight. It was the most perfect date I've ever had.”

“You're welcome,” he replied.

I looked at the giant clock hanging above the television. “I probably should be getting home, though. It's getting late.”

He sighed. “Okay. Let me go get my keys.”

He held my hand the entire way home. Once we arrived back at my apartment complex, he walked me to the door. “I had a really good time with you tonight, Rain.”

“Me too,” I told him as I moved in closer to him.

He kissed me softly as he cradled my face. We kissed for a few minutes before he finally pulled away, leaving us both breathing heavily. Those familiar electric currents were shooting through my fingers and toes as I looked into his eyes.

“Thank you so much for this night,” I told him.

“No, thank
you
for tonight,” he replied as he kissed me quickly. “I'll give you a call tomorrow.”

“Okay,” I said as he walked back to his SUV. I watched him drive away before I crept quietly up to my apartment and slipped into the bathroom to wash the makeup off my face. Brushing my teeth quickly and quietly, I still could not wipe the smile off my face. As I walked into my room, I noticed that my purse felt slightly heavier, so I opened it up and looked inside. All five of the cartoon movies Ethan had offered as a choice were inside it, with a note taped to the one on top. I opened up the note and read, “Rain, I know you're trying to build up your collection. Consider this an early birthday present.”

Shaking my head, I bit my lip to keep from laughing. I knew I was falling hard for him, and it didn't even scare me the way it probably should have. He really was a great guy, and I could tell that he was probably feeling the same things that I was feeling. Suddenly, the lie I had told him about my father popped into my memory and slapped me across the face. I remembered again what he had said about being honest with each other, and I knew he was right. This relationship wouldn't be
real
if he didn't know exactly what he was getting himself into. But I knew – or I hoped – I would tell him when the timing was right. Tonight, on our first official date, was just not the time.

As I put on my pajamas, I turned the radio on low. Practically skipping to my dresser, I pulled out an oversized pink T-shirt to wear to bed. I was dancing along to the music when the song suddenly ended and the DJs began to talk. I wasn't really listening to their conversation until I heard one of them say, “If you missed the Stand Alone show tonight over at Joey's, you really missed out.”

I froze, and the other one replied, “It really was a fantastic show, wasn't it?” I felt the blood drain from my face as I realized that between my afternoon nap and the conversation with my mom, I had forgotten to call Aiden and tell him I wasn't coming. What an awful friend I was! I still felt a little guilty about blowing off his invitation to Logan's party at the beginning of the year, and now I had just done something even worse.

I consoled myself a little as I realized that he probably wouldn't have had a clue if we were there or not. There were probably a ton of people crammed into the little building, and he was probably so psyched that he didn't even realize who was in the audience and who wasn't. I laughed a little to myself at how conceited I seemed to even think that he would pay attention to the fact that I wasn't there. He must have had a million things to worry about that had nothing to do with me and Ethan being there. In fact, he may have even forgotten to drop off the tickets.

Even though I tried to tell myself that it was fine, something inside of me told me otherwise. I would have some explaining to do on Monday.